Hard earned, easily lost
17 January 2025
Swedish citizenship is set to become more difficult to obtain – and easier to lose. The government presented an inquiry this week, proposing that financial self-sufficiency should be a prerequisite for citizenship, alongside stricter enforcement of the existing requirements to lead what they call an “honest lifestyle”, which, according to the minister of migration, will entail no crime and no unpaid bills.
Sweden is not the only European country tightening its naturalisation policies. Finland implemented a similar measure last year, increasing the required period of residence from five to eight years. Additionally, the Swedish government aims to enable the revocation of citizenship for certain dual-national offenders, such as gang criminals, a measure that would require constitutional changes, which is no small detail. Similar ideas have been echoed recently by Germany’s CDU leader, Friedrich Merz, and is already a reality in Denmark. It's still unclear whether "shifting" problem individuals to other countries, rather than addressing the issue domestically, will lead to long-term positive outcomes.
However, unlike Denmark – and to the dismay of the far-right Sweden Democrats – the Swedish inquiry did not propose making a pledge of allegiance to Sweden, which the country currently doesn’t have, a requirement for naturalisation.
 | Felicia Larsson Making citizenship more difficult to attain is one of many steps in Sweden’s broader crackdown on immigration. While variations of these proposals already exist in Denmark, Norway, and Finland, Sweden’s shift is particularly striking. As blatant racism increasingly permeates political discourse and influences policy-making, it is easy to forget that just a decade ago, Sweden welcomed the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the EU. Back in 2015, when many Syrians fled their war-torn country, Sweden’s then-social democrat led government urged the Swedes to “show patience and open their hearts.” Since then, growing political pressure, as well as debates over integration and the impact of immigration on Swedish society, led to a change of government in 2022 and the following tightened policies. |
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